Machine for treating chocolate masses.



' J. SHBPFMAN. momma FOR TREATING CHOCOLATE MASSES. APPLLA'OATIOK FILED JAN.,13, 1914. 1 103,627, Patented July 14, 1914,

' 2 SHEETSBHEEI 1.

. the chocolate mass is subjected to JoHN SHEFFMAN, or new YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR TREATING- CHOCOLATE M ASSES. 1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed January 13, 1914 Serial No. 811,872.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that 1, JOHN SHEFFMAN, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and resident of the cit-y of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chocolate Masses, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a machine for treating chocolate masses, and more particularly to an apparatus in which mechanical treatment to obtain a ready melting of the same.

In the manufacture of chocolate cocoa is mixed with sugar in a suitable mixing machine, and the mass so obtained is then in the so-called conches subjected to further treatment in order to refine, as it were, the mass,.and to incorporate it in a' suitable fat, for instance cocoa butter, in order to obtain a ready melting of the mass, which is desirable in the further steps of the process of manufacture of chocolate. It has been found that these conches do not fully perform the required work and that, on the other hand, their parts are subjected to wear owing to their reciprocating motion.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a machine that takes the place of the conches above mentioned, but which is in all respects more effective in operation than the conches, and does away wlth all the defects of the latter.

Another object of the invention is to produce a machine of the, character described which canbe manufactured on a commercial scale, or in other words one which is not so difiicult to produce as to be beyond the reasonable cost of such an apparatus.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fullyappear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes can be made in the size and proportion of the several parts within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of Machines for Treating the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross section taken through the same, partly in elevation; and Fig. 3 1s a plan vie-w of a detail of construction; and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a roller employed therein.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the base frame of the. apparatus. This frame, preferably a casting, is casingshaped, its lower end being provided with a flange 11, that rests upon the floor, to which it is attached by means of screws 12, or otherwise. The base frame supports a vessel 13 which is cup-shaped, its bottom 14 being fiat, and its side wall 15 slanting, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Near the upper edge of the side wall is formed a flange 16, that rests upon the frame 10, the vessel itself being disposed within the frame in such a manner that an annular space 17 is formed between the walls of these two elements, thereby forming a jacket around the vessel 13. From the bottom 14 of the vessel 13 rises centrally a step bearing 18. The vessel 13 is covered by a hood 19, that is provided with an air inlet 20, in which are disposed battle plates 21. An air outlet 22 is arranged in the top of the hood for a purpose hereinafter to be described. In the hood is furthermore provided an opening 23, which is adapted to be closed by doors 24, 24. The

. To the standard 26 is fastened a bracket 28,

provided with a bearing 29, which is arranged in alinement with the bearing 30, that is either made integral with or fastened to the standard 26. In the bearings 29 and 30 is journaled a shaft 31, carrying a loose pulley 32 and thermore a bevel gear 34, which meshes with a similar gear 35, that is mounted upon a vertical shaft 36, which is journaled in the step bearing 18 and in abolster bearing 37, that is, preferably, made integral with the transverse member 27. With the step bearing may be associated a ball bearing 38 for the well known purpose. To the vertical 110 a fixed pulley 33, and fura spindle 42, that is'he (1 against rotation on.

said bracket. On this spmdle is rotatably disposed a conical roller 43, which is made of granite. A scraper 44 is pivotedv to the bracket 41, said scraper extending through.

. out thelength of the roller 43 and being kept in contact with the same by means of lugs 45,-which are screwed or otherwise attached to the bracket 41. To the legs 46 of the Y .-shaped member 39 are fixedly attached downwardly extending members 47, -which carry stirring arms 48 and scrapers 49, the

- the bed stoneand left to set.

latter bearing against the slanting side walls 15 of the-vvessel 13. The granite roller 43 cooperates with abed stone 50, preferably made of granite, and held upon the-flat bottom. .14 of the vessel .13 by cementing ma -terial 51. This bed stone is ring-shaped and this broughtinproper relation to the roller by set screws52. After having been brought in proper relation, the cementing material is caused to flow between the bottom 14 and An outletpipe 53 communicates with the vessel 13, a cock 54 being inserted in said .pipe. Below 'the bottom 14 cf the vessel 13 is disposed a heating means, for instance in'the form ofa steam coil 55, valves 56 and 57 controllin the flow of the steam therein.

The operation of-this device is as follows: The chocolate mass with the proper amount of fat, for" instance cocoa butter, is placed into the vessel 13'andsteam admitted into the coil 55. Rotation is then imparted to the countershaft 31 and thus to the parts carried bythe shaft 36. The mass 'in the vessel 13 is ground very fine by the cocperating granite roller 43 and the bed stone 50, and thoroughly mixed with the fat. In the chocolate such amount of fat must be in- Ecorpor'ated so as to cause the entire mixture to melt by the heat applied thereto; The

stirring arms 48 obviously serve to. thoroughly agitate-the mass, the scrapers 49 causing the mass adherin to the side wall of the'vessel to fall tower. the center therelof, that is intothe' path of the roller43. Inasmuch as this roller is conical, it tends to cause the mass in the receptacle to move toward the center while being acted upon, in

contradistinction to similar grinding or rubbing devices which usually throw the mass gtoward the walls of the containers. In causing the mass. to flow toward the center. of the ,vessel, obviously it ;is continuously acted upon; by the said roller.f The scraper 44, of

.course, removes the material that adheres to theroller 43 from the latter." It isobvious that the angula'rvelocity of the roller 43, which is bodily rotated around the longie tudinal' axis of the apparatus, gradually increases from its inner end toward its outer end. Inasmuch as this roller rotates, however, around its own axis, it is obvious that byreason of its conical shape, the angular velocity of the peripheral portion of its inner edge relative to its own axis is considerably smaller than that of the peripheral.

portion of its outer edge. The angularvelocities of a portionof the roller relative to its own axis and relative tothe vertical axis of the apparatus are thus, by making the roller cone-shaped, made to correspond substanbetween the roller and the bed stoneis effectively revented,.thus necessitating little power on y to drive the machine. When the treatment of the mass has been finished, the cockv 54 is opened, the molten mass flowing then through the ipe 53 into a container. The scrapers '49 w1ll facilitate the drawing off of the mass, the machine being operated untilthe mass has nearly been removed.

. tially to each other, whereby undue friction The gases or foul odors, which are pro-- duced in treating the chocolate mass, are carried away through the outlet 22in the top of the hood by the fresh air enterin through the inlet 20. The jacket around the vessel 13 serves to prevent the escape of heat from-said vessel.

described performs the work of the 'conches above mentioned in about one-half of the time that is needed for the treatment in the said conches.

What I claim is:- I f 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a cup-shaped vessel provided upon its' bottom with a bed stone, of a vertical rotary shaft centrally dis sed in said vessel, a supporting member e ed to said shaft, a bracket pivotally'attac ed to said supporting member, a conical roller carried by said bracket and cocperating with said bed stone, the axis of saidconical roller being disposed at an angle to the axis of said shaft and the'base of the roller forming the outer end thereof, a downwardly extending member fixedly attached to saidsu porting member, stirring arms upon said downwardly extending member, and a" scraper also upon said downwardly extendin member, said scraper bearing against tfi wall of said vessel.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with acup-shaped vessel provided upon itsbotto n with a bedstone of a vertical rotary shaft centrally dis 'ose' 95 It has been found that the machine herein extending ,member, said scraper bearing against the side wall of said vessel.

3. In a machine of the character described the combination with a cup-shaped vesse rovided upon its bottom with a bed stone, of a vertical rotary shaft centrally dis osed in said vessel, a su porting member Eeyed to said shaft, a brac etpivotally attached to said supporting member, a conical roller carried by said bracket and coiiperating with said bed stone, the axis of said conical roller bemg disposed at an angle tothe axis of said shaft and the base of the roller forming the outerend thereof, a hoodcovering said vessel, heating means arranged below the bottom of said vessel, a-downwardly extending member fixedly attached tosaid sup- 2 porting member, stirring arms upon said downwardly extending member, and a scraper also upon said downwardly extending member, said scraper bearing against the side wall of said vessel,

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 1 6th day of January, A. D. 1914'.

- JOHN SHEFFMAN.

. Witnesses:

S. BIRNBAUM, Smmmn Hnnzoe. 

